Post-Game: Locals Win The Third, Win The Game

The 2013-14 Calgary Flames were an entertaining, resilient bunch. They won a scant 35 games, but did so with guts, grit and determination.

The 2014-15 Calgary Flames, with 12 wins already – in just 20 games – look upon the 2013-14 edition of the club as a bunch of unlucky slobs. Needing just 23 wins (in the remaining 62 games) to hit their win total from last year, I think it’s safe to say that this year’s edition of the Flames won’t be as bad (standings-wise) as last year’s gang.

No Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel around here, folks.

The Flames completed the first quarter of their season with a 4-3 shootout win over the visiting Anaheim Ducks. Despite getting out-shot and out-chanced through the first 40 minutes.

Maybe it was the fact that the Ducks were coming off an embarrassing loss to Florida on Sunday. Maybe it was the lengthy delay for the Peter Maher ceremony – which was wonderfully and tastefully done, by the way – but the Calgary Flames came rather slow out of the gate. The Ducks out-shot them 9-4. The Ducks out-scored them 1-0 off of a Sami Vatanen shot from the high slot that Sven Baertschi attempted to block (but didn’t quite get it).

The Flames were about as bad in the second, as the Ducks found their legs in the second period and despite the Flames seemingly having more jump, their execution was wanting and the Ducks skated circles around them overall. Anaheim out-shot them 10-3 and extended their lead to two goals off a Matt Beleskey power-play goal that squeaked through traffic.

The third period? Calgary woke up and Anaheim fell asleep. Jiri Hudler got Calgary on the board after a nifty deke by T.J. Brodie opened up a lane, and Hudler whacked in a rebound to make it 2-1. A few minutes later, Dennis Wideman’s slap-shot made it 2-2. Then a few minutes later, Johnny Gaudreau teed up another shot for Wideman, who scored a second goal of the period to give the Flames a 3-2 lead. However, less than a minute later Josh Jooris took a penalty and Kyle Palmieri scored to tie the game. The lead lasted a minute and 22 seconds. The Flames lead in shots 10-6.

Following the dry scrape (RIP: Leave the memories alone!) overtime solved nothing. Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan scored in the shootout to give the Flames their 12th win of the year and move them to within a point of first place in the Pacific.

The Ducks took their foot off the gas in the third period and the Flames, a strong third period performer all season long, flipped the switch and started playing their game. Forechecking? Check. Lots of shots? Check. A bunch of goals in a hurry? Check.

Sean Monahan had an even rating, played 25:19 (only Jiri Hudler had more among Flames forwards) and was 17-for-31 in the face-off circle. Oh, and he scored the game-deciding shootout goal.

Honourable mentions to Dennis “2 Goals” Wideman and Markus “2 Assists and Plus-3” Granlund.

The Flames are now 12-6-2, somehow – well, the somehow is scoring more goals than the teams they were playing against. They’re 3 points back of Montreal for first overall and 14 points up on last-place Buffalo.

And this graphic just makes me feel good.

The Flames host the Chicago Blackhawks (10-7-1) on Thursday night.